Britt Jones
Running a race at the Olympics is a cause to sprint as fast as you can, not to play The Tortoise and the Hare.
But when Team USA hurdler Freddie Crittenden left the starting blocks, he did it in away that shocked viewers at home.
The athlete was competing in the first round of the Men's 110m hurdles today (August 4) and even though he ranks fourth in the world, he got off to a slow and steady start.
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The 30-year-old's Olympic debut in Paris proved to be rather anticlimactic as he practically jogged all the way to the finish line, despite knowing he had to pick up the speed to advance to the semi-finals.
This meant that Crittenden had to be one of the top-three finishers with the fastest times to ideally come out on top.
Unfortunately, his leisurely pace meant that he finished last in the heat.
However, Crittenden did explain the reason behind the move.
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Following the race, the athlete shared that he was 'slightly injured' and wanted to save himself for another chance at qualifying for the semis on Tuesday (August 6).
According to Eurosport, Crittenden hopes he will feel better and can at least make the top six, so he can go on to the semi-finals.
Reporters who spoke to the sports star after the race said that he had an 'aggravated muscle' in his leg, causing him to go slower.
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Viewers at home were shocked by Crittenden's decision to go slow and shared their thoughts on Twitter.
One person wrote: “I am FLOORED. American 110m men's hurdler, Freddie Crittenden came in dead last. It's not funny but I'm laughing because I thought he ran as well as I'd have run (not true) but the world ranked #4 runner came in last in his heat. He'll advance to the repechage.”
Another said: “Trying to play it smart. After experiencing a twinge in warmups, @__respect_earnd makes [Crittenden] the choice to keep it locked down in the Olympic 110m hurdles prelims and test his luck in the repechage rounds.
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“Crittenden finished last in his heat in 18.27.”
Someone else questioned: “What happened there to Freddie Crittenden!?”
While another commended the athlete for being 'smart'.
They wrote: “Smart move. Why not take advantage of this new format. Doesn’t risk an injury and if he’s back to close to 100%, he should make it through no problem!”
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Footage showed the moment Crittenden began to lag behind right after the first jump, before it became clear he was intentionally taking it slowly.
Even though you might think his chances were dashed, the hurdler will still have a chance at bringing home a gold medal despite coming in last.
His time of 18.27 seconds will be put into the repechage rounds which take place on Tuesday.